Cities Alliance Catalytic Fund

Cities Alliance Catalytic Fund is sponsored by Cities Alliance (Global Partnership hosted by the World Bank). The Cities Alliance is a global partnership to reduce urban poverty and promote the role of cities in sustainable development.

A Strengthened Partnership vi Message from the Programme Manager 1 A New Charter as the Roadmap to Inclusive Cities 4 Members of the Partnership 4 New Governance Structure 11 Cities Alliance in Action 13 From Transition to Consolidation 16 Country Work Programmes 19 Knowledge and Learning 27 Communications and Advocacy 37 Cities Alliance Organisation 37 The Consultative Group 38 Consultative Group Members 39 The Executive Committee 40 The Policy Advisory Forum 45 Cities Alliance Financial Report (FY2011) 53 Abbreviations and Acronyms Cover Photo: A busy commercial scene in Kumasi, Ghana, a secondary city.

Cities Alliance identifies secondary cities as the loci of Highlights of FY’2011 Operations > Funding proposals from the old grant facility totalling US$3. 6 million in Core funds were processed and approved for 13 projects. > The old open access grant facility was closed in March 2010, and the new Catalytic Fund was launched in January 2011.

The first cohort of Catalytic Fund projects, estimated at US$1. 75 million, was approved during the first half of FY’12. > The Australian Agency for international Development (AusAiD), signed a new three-year agreement with Cities Alliance which will provide US$2 million in each of the next two years, on top of a $350,000 contribution for FY’11.

> Over US$12. 3 million of funding allocations were approved during the year. Most of the approved funding—US$8.

3 million—went to country/regional projects. The remainder was used to fund global knowledge and communication activities and the costs of the Cities > Nearly 44 percent of the country and regional approvals were for Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting an increased prioritisation of the region as agreed by the Cities Alliance member- ship at its 2010 annual meeting held in Mexico City.

Overall Geographical Distribution of Projects (FY 2009–2011) Middle East & North Africa Latin America & Caribbean (5 Projects) East Asia and Paci c A. Projects cancelled during project preparation were not included in the figure, as no grant agreement had been issued. B.

Projects in which the grant agreements are underway were included in the figure. C. Catalytic Fund (CATF) Projects were not included in the figure.

iv C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t > November 2010 – New Cities Alliance Charter adopted at its Consultative Group Meeting in > Cities Alliance repositioned as a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the role of cities in sustainable development.

> Cities Alliance support to be channelled through four Business Lines: – Country Programmes (CPs) – Knowledge and Learning Activities – Communications and Advocacy.

> Significant progress and outcomes in (CPs) in Uganda, vietnam > in Uganda’s Transforming the Settlements of the Urban Poor in Uganda (TSUPU), the framework of national dialogue, local-level good governance and community voice provided the underpinning for a new World Bank capital investment programme of US$130 million in 13 secondary towns, including the five CP towns. > New CPs were launched in Burkina Faso and Mozambique.

> January 2011 – First Call for Proposals for Applications to the Cat Fund launched; > 75 Concept Notes were received with 45 of them meeting eligibility criteria. > January 2011 – The publication, Making Room for a Planet of Cities was launched in Washington DC – by Cities Alliance, Lincoln institute for Land Policy and the World Bank.

> March 2011 – Peer-to-peer Learning Workshop on City Development Strategies (CDS) Experiences from the City Perspective in the Mediterranean held in Barcelona. > April 2011 – An initial three-year Joint Work Programme (JWP) between Cities Alliance and the World Bank Africa Region’s Urban and Water (AFTUW) unit signed.

> April 2011 – Quick Guides for Policy Makers on Housing the Poor in African Cities launched in Nairobi during UN-Habitat’s 23rd Governing Council Meetings. > June 2011 – Climate Change, Disaster Risk and the Urban Poor launched at the C40 Summit of Large Cities in São Paulo by World Bank Group President, Robert Zoellick. > July 2011 – Special Session of the Ghana Urban Forum on “Shaping Ghana’s Urban Future�?

held in Accra in collaboration with national, local and community stakeholders and devel- Message from the Programme Manager t is my pleasure to introduce you to the 2011 Annual Report of the Cities Alliance. This report captures the end of the internal restructuring that has revitalised the Cities Alliance after its first decade.

With the adoption of a new Charter and new business model in Mexico City last October, the Secretariat has spent the bulk of the past twelve months implementing these decisions, all of which have proven to be both resilient and strategic. in the same period, we have been solidifying the role of the Cities Alli- ance within the urban community at the World Bank, and have benefited enormously from a new dynamic and improved alignment.

The Cities Alliance is now poised to move into a new phase in its short history, building upon its existing portfolio and experience.

Amongst William Cobbett, Manager, Cities Alliance the most important challenges in the year ahead, i would identify the potential of the Catalytic Fund to dramatically improve the quality and the strategic impact of relatively small grants; the vital work of realising the very evident investment potential created by the Country Programmes; and the need to increase the impact of the Cities Alliance’s advocacy messages.

Central to achieving all of these objectives will be the mobilisation of significant resources, the identification of new partners, and the leveraging of public and private As a global partnership, the Cities Alliance is particularly well placed to point to the gaps in national urban policies and in international development assistance.

These include the need to focus on cities as a constituency, the vital importance of a more concerted and differentiated response to the needs of small and secondary cities—where the bulk of urbanisation will take place—as well as on the enor- mous, long-term and largely negative impacts that a badly managed urbanisation process will have on responding to global priorities, such as climate change.

Even today, both national and international responses remain too disconnected. There are, however, positive developments that need recognition and support, including the dramatic recent movement towards a more meaningful and inclusive future in some of the cities in the Middle East and North Africa.

And, in a different sphere, the increasing attention being paid by significant private sector players to the potential of cities of all sizes to provide new markets is an extremely welcome development that also demands our attention.

As Manager, i would first like to thank all the staff of the Cities Alliance Secretariat who have managed to keep our work programme on track whilst also contributing so positively through a very challenging period.

For the Cities Alliance as a whole, i would like to appreciate the very active role of the members of the Consultative Group for their active and critical support over a protracted period, and for creating the conditions for new and creative thinking. i would also like to acknowledge the role of the Executive Committee which has—in its new role—played a decisive role in designing a new platform for the Cities Alliance.

Finally, i would like to thank Clare Short—Chair of the Cities Alliance Policy Advisory Forum—for her consistent support and unerring strategic vision, and Zoubida Allaoua, Director, Finance Economics and Urban department of the World Bank for her integrity, her support and her leadership.

vi C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t Strength in Unity of Purpose: Children in a Nairobi slum A New Charter as a Roadmap to Inclusive Cities t its annual meeting held in Mexico City 2010, the Consultative Group launched the next stage of the Cities Alliance with the adoption of a new Charter and a new business model.

The new Charter was the culmination of a three-year period of introspection and lively debate, which commenced with the production of the first Medium Term Strategy (MTS 2008–2010). As a result of these changes, the Cities Alliance is now well placed to consolidate and build upon its existing portfo- lio and experience, and move its agenda forward with greater confidence and purpose.

With cities and local governments at the core of urban transformation processes the new Charter defines the Cities Alliance as the vehicle or platform enabling these transformation processes towards inclusive cities. The Alliance is positioned as a “global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development. �?

it is a partnership which seeks to improve the quality and coherence of support being provided to city and national governments in the devel- oping world, as well as the quality of members’ own urban programmes.

The partnership seeks to achieve three over-arching objectives: > To strengthen and promote the role of cities in poverty reduction and in sustainable > To capture and strengthen the synergies between and among members and partners; and > To improve the quality of urban development cooperation and lending.

The Alliance will work through the existing capacity of its members, as well as other partners, to promote the vision of ‘Sustainable Cities without Slums’. To achieve this vision, the Cities Alliance will promote new partnerships between local and national government, slum dwellers, private founda- tions, the private sector, NGOs and other partners.

Support will be prioritised to favour cities, local authorities, associations of local authorities and/or national governments that are committed to: > improving their cities, and local governance, for all residents; > Adopting a long-term, comprehensive and inclusive approach to urban development; > implementing those reforms necessary to effect systemic change and to achieve delivery at > Decentralising resources to empower local government.

Cities Alliance support to these cities and local authorities will fall under three broad categories: 1. Citywide and nationwide slum upgrading programmes; 2. City development strategies; and 3.

National policies on urban development and local government. A NEW CHARTER AS A ROADMAP TO iNCLUSivE CiTiES 3 Support will also be channeled through four main business lines: 1. Country Programmes – Longer term programmatic support, at a multiple city and 2.

Catalytic Funds – Funding support for shorter terms projects and activities that catalyse urban transformation processes; 3. Knowledge and Learning Activities – Activities designed to fill knowledge gaps in urban and to build capacity at local, national, regional and global levels; and 4.

Communications and Advocacy – Activities designed to improve awareness of relevant policies or activities, influence policies and behaviour and contribute to dynamic local, national, regional and global debates. Members of the Partnership There are two categories of membership both of which are entitled to participate in the Consultative Group meeting of the Cities Alliance: 1.

Full Members – Comprising representatives of national governments; multi-lateral or- ganisations; the global organisations of local authorities; United Cities and Local Govern- ments (UCLG) and Metropolis, and international networks of organisations engaged in 2. Associate Members – May include representatives of foundations, NGOs, private compa- nies, local authorities and other partners as defined by the Consultative Group (CG).

They are entitled to participate in the CG session as non-voting Members. Under the new Charter the Cities Alliance is structured into: > The Consultative group (Cg) – Comprising Full and Associate Members of the Alliance, the CG is the primary decision-making body of the organisation.

The CG meets at least once a year and is co-chaired by the founding members of the Cities Alliance: the World Bank and > The executive Committee (eXCO) – The CG appoints the Executive Committee, which in turn is accountable to the Consultative Group in all matters. The Executive Committee comprises representatives from a combination of Permanent Members, Rotating Members, an Ex-Officio Member and a potential Observer.

One of the features of the new Charter is the strengthening of the mandate of EXCO. > The Policy Advisory Forum (PAF) – A platform for public discussion, debate and knowledge sharing of activities that improve awareness of relevant policies or activities, changing policies and behaviour.

The Forum promotes dialogue between CG members and invited 4 C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t partners on key policy and strategic issues of city and urban development, and advises the Cities Alliance on appropriate policies and strategies. The PAF Chairperson, Clare Short, was appointed in 2010 for a three year period.

in formulating the work programme and activities of the PAF, the Chairperson will work in close consultation with the Chairperson of the EXCO, the Co-Chairs of the Consultative Group and the Manager of the Secretariat. > The Secretariat – The Secretariat carries out the Cities Alliance work programme and man- ages its day-to-day operations.

A primary function of the Secretariat is to actively facilitate the participation of members in the activities of the organisation. it also provides appropriate services to its Members, and generally facilitates the work of the partnership. By decision of the CG, the Secretariat is administered by and within the World Bank, and the World Bank serves as trustee of Cities Alliance financial resources.

Cities Alliance Secretariat staff are World Bank staff members recruited and managed according to World Bank policies and procedures. A feature of the Secretariat is the practice of Members’ seconding staff, which greatly strengthens both the diversity and the sense of partnership within the organisation.

Cities Alliance New and Old Charters: At-a-Glance Article/Principle New Charter (2010) Old Charter – (1999) About Cities Alliance The Cities Alliance is “a global partnership for urban The Cities Alliance is “a multi-donor coalition of cities and their poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of development partners working to improve the efficiency and impact of cities in sustainable development. �?

urban development cooperation. �?

Strategic Objectives • To strengthen and promote the role of • To improve the quality of urban development cooperation and cities in poverty reduction and in sustainable urban lending; development; • To strengthen the impact of grant-funded urban development • To capture and strengthen the synergies cooperation; between and among members and partners; • To expand the level of resources reaching the urban poor, by increas- and ing the coherence of effort of existing programs and sharpening the • To improve the quality of urban development focus on scaling-up successful approaches; and cooperation and lending.

• To provide a structured vehicle for advancing collective know-how. Areas of Focus • Citywide and nationwide slum upgrading • Cities Without Slums, through the citywide and nationwide programmes; upgrading of low-income settlements to improve the livelihoods of • City development strategies; and the urban poor; and • National policies on urban development and • City Development Strategies, aimed at formulating a broad local government.

consensus on a vision and a set of priorities for city actions; Business Lines • Country Programmes • Regional & Global Activities • Knowledge & Learning Activities • Communication and Advocacy Activities Governance Structure • The Consultative Group (CG) • The Consultative Group • The Executive Committee (ExCo) • The Policy Advisory Board • The Policy Advisory Forum (PAF) • The Secretariat A NEW CHARTER AS A ROADMAP TO iNCLUSivE CiTiES 5 The new Charter constitutes the frame- work within which the first ever Cities Alliance Business Plan is being developed, outlining the next steps for implementa- tion of the guiding principles and vision, with a view to significantly increasing the Alliance’s contribution to urban poverty reduction and the vision of sustainable Fundamental to the process of developing the new Charter was the exposition of a Theory of Change for the Cities Alliance, reflecting its mandate, comparative A Commercial Street Scene in Kumasi, Ghana advantages of its members and track record.

The theory positions cities, local governments and key stakeholders at the core of operations, all working from the present realities of urban development in a process of transformation towards inclusive cities.

The concept of inclusive cit- ies covers the dimensions of sustainable development, and refers to the responsiveness of local govern- ments, the engagement of citizens, accessibility of services, land, housing, and economic opportunities, and the adaptation to the environment through policies designed to promote Green Growth.

Cities Alliance Theory of Change: Urban Transformation towards Inclusive Cities Empowered citizenry engaged E ective and responsive city in urban development management Security to tenure Present Access to a ordable services and access to shelter Situation Adapted to the environment Access to economic opportunities 6 C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t Slum Scene in Medellin, Colombia, site of a major urban renewal programme The Theory of Change identifies seven outputs that contribute to a successful urban transformation > Engagement in meaningful dialogue and cooperation; > increased knowledge and awareness of the situation of the urban poor; > Enhanced knowledge of inclusive urban development; > Elaboration of inclusive urban strategies, policies and plans; > identification of possible investment partners and development of policies designed to mobilise finance in support of inclusive urban development; > Adjustment of their organisations to support inclusive urban development; and > implementation of inclusive urban policies, strategies and plans.

A NEW CHARTER AS A ROADMAP TO iNCLUSivE CiTiES 7 The Shape of Urban Transformation Supporting strategies National nancing Engage in organisations Successful transformation processes should comprise all of these outputs, but the importance of each depends on the specific situation, and varies over time.

8 C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t The Cities Alliance Partnership at the Special Session of the Ghana Urban Forum, Accra, July 2011 Cities Alliance in Action he period under review was one of consolidation and focused direction for the Cities Alliance, both key outcomes of the adoption of the Charter, its repositioning as a global partnership, and the confirmation of its focus on cities and on urban poverty reduction.

Following the closure of the open grant facility, a new business model was launched through the first Call for Proposals for the new Catalytic Fund mechanism.

The first call for applications for the Catalytic Fund was issued at the end of January 2011, and resulted in a batch of 74 Concept Notes in response, on a broad range of projects related to economic, environmental and social aspects of urban develop- ment across regions—Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America and Central Asia.

Despite staffing constraints, significant progress was made with the Country Programmes, all at a different stage of implementation. By far the most advanced is Uganda, where both national and local government have provided both leadership and momentum, while ActTogether—the local SDi affiliate—performed at an extremely high level in mobilising communities in the five munici- palities.

Buoyed by the profile of hosting the July ExCo meeting, the Ghana programme has been launched, with Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ) acting as the lead After some unexpected delays, the Burkina Faso work programme is now being designed, with an active consortium of Cities Alliance members including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Agence Française de Développement (AfD) and Ministère des affaires étrangères et euro- péennes (MAEE), the World Bank and UN-Habitat, the latter being selected as the lead Member.

The country programme team was also able to devote the necessary attention to the vietnam programme, where funds are now being disbursed. The Cities Alliance has already financed the World Bank’s Urbanisation Review for vietnam, which provides a solid analytical framework to help the Government come to terms with the nature and scope of the urbanisation challenge.

At its Ghana meeting in July, ExCo identified the fifth Country Programme that will be financed using funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—Mozambique. Given that Maputo had already been identified as the venue for the 2011 Consultative Group meeting, this is expected to provide all members with a unique opportunity to be involved in discussions at the commencement of the programme.

A highlight of the Mozambique Country Programme will be the experience that the governments of Brazil and italy will bring to Mozambique as part of a tripartite arrangement with the Cities Alliance that builds upon the success of the Bahia programme, one of the Cities Alliance’s first and most visible interventions in slum upgrading.

The year also recorded major developments and results in ongoing country programmes in the middle income countries of Brazil, india, the Philippines and South Africa. in June 2011 the Cities Alliance and the government of the Philippines signed a grant agreement with the Cities Alliance to develop a National Slum Upgrading Strategy (NSUS).

The NSUS goal is to provide the national government with a frame of reference and to support government efforts to develop “Sustainable Communities�? ; formulate a “National Government Resettlement Policy�? and update the “National Urban Development and Housing Framework (NUDHF)�?.

CiTiES ALLiANCE iN ACTiON 11 in South Africa, Cities Alliance support to the National Upgrading Support Programme (NUSP) played a sig- nificant role in catalysing the debate around creating sustainable human settlements in South Africa, most notably through the inclusion of informal settlement upgrade as a core component of the groundbreaking Delivery Agreement between the Presidency and the Minister of Human Settlements.

The initial investment of $600,000 from USAiD and CA, with support from World Bank institute (WBi), was influential in leveraging public investment for human settlement upgrading and municipal services to the amount of ZAR 4. 9 billion. This year also saw the Alliance strengthening its knowledge programme with the initiation of a num- ber of Joint Work Programmes (JWPs).

The first was an agreement concluded with the Africa Region of the World Bank, an initiative to leverage the Bank’s support across the entire Africa region, support the urban transition in a number of countries, and leverage Cities Alliance members as part of the partnership.

Real and tangible results have also been emerging from the highly successful JWP on Cities and Climate Change, which the Secretariat was instrumental in conceptualising and convening. The collaboration between UNEP, UN-Habitat and the World Bank has been extremely productive and successful, and has raised the profile of the issue amongst all organisations, and more generally.

in terms of its Communication and Advocacy mandate, 2011 also saw the Alliance undertake a comprehensive corporate branding exercise with the simplification of messaging and the launch of new graphic templates.

Major reports were produced and launched during this period, including Making Room for a Planet of Cities, with the Boston-based Lincoln institute for Land Policy and the World Bank, Quick Policy Guides on Housing the Poor in African Cities, commissioned and financed by the Cities Alliance and co-published with UN-Habitat, and The Case for Incremental Housing, which was commissioned by the Secretariat itself.

During FY 2011 the Cities Alliance published four issues of its e-newsletter, @Cities Alliance, with articles, publication announcements, events and recently approved projects highlighting the strength and breadth of the Cities Alliance partnership. The decision was also made to move @Cities Alliance from a quarterly publication to a bimonthly one to provide timely news and information on the partnership and its activities.

Life in the Slums: Getting ready for the game in Accra, Ghana 12 C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t The following sections will explore these significant highlights in each of the new business lines in Codified in the new Charter as the key business line for the Cities Alliance Country Programmes (CPs) can be defined as “longer term programmatic support to selected countries, at a multiple city/national scale. �?

Working with multiple Alliance members, and national institutions, constitutes the foundation for progress and partnership within CPs.

Early evidence suggests that the CPs have the potential to provide a new level of coherence amongst Cities Alliance’ members, and ensuring that the focus is not on competing mandates but rather in providing support to local and national partners struggling to cope with rapidly changing demographic trends, and promoting a national growth agenda centred on sustainable, inclusive cities.

Partnerships are brokered at four different levels, with: 1.

National primary partners – involving the core partnership between three key primary partners—national government, city governments and urban poor communities—and which facilitates national policies designed to create the enabling environment for city governments to better serve their citizens, and empowers urban poor communities to play a full role in the economic and social life of their city; 2.

National support partners – engaging national and local organisations to bring their own unique contribution to development. These include local government associations, different parts of the private sector, training institutes, academia, service organisations 3.

Cities Alliance members – engaging with members to ensure that the Cities Alliance presents a united front as a partnership, coherently engaging with the national partners and ensuring high quality support; and 4. Other international support partners – creating the necessary space and incentives for a range of additional partners to effectively engage with the national urban agenda.

The Cities Alliance will actively seek to engage with any international NGO, private sector company, foundation or academic institution that can strengthen the country pro- gramme, and improve the quality of support being provided to national partners. CPs typically comprise three components: 1.

A Framework to enhance the cooperation system among national and local govern- ments, urban poor communities, Cities Alliance members and other partners; 2. Funding to complement Cities Alliance member and partner activities by filling action or 3. Facilitating public and private investment into cities and local communities.

CiTiES ALLiANCE iN ACTiON 13 By moving away from shorter-term, ad hoc initiatives and adopting a longer-term, programmatic approach, CPs aim to support national partners’ attempts to promote more inclusive cities via: 1. improved governance and accountability through institutional reforms and dialogue; 2. improved management of urbanisation through inclusive policy and plans, with respect to the situation of the urban poor; 3.

improved service delivery through mobilisation of investment finance and partnership; and 4. improved household livelihood security through local community planning and During the period under review, the Cities Alliance consolidated its activities in ongoing CPs in Uganda, Ghana and vietnam, in addition to initiating new ones in Burkina Faso and Mozambique.

in Uganda, the CP is wholly nationally owned and called, “Transforming Settlements of the Urban Poor in Uganda�? (TSUPU). This has the overarching objective to create inclusive cities without slums in Uganda and is focused on secondary cities.

The focus on secondary cities rather than on Kampala is a recognition of the fact—common to many countries—that it is the sec- ondary cities that will bear the brunt of managing the Celebrating the launch of the Uganda National Urban Forum, urban transition, and that early and decisive action in Kampala, June 2010 these towns and cities provides the best opportunities for managing rapid urbanisation and ensuring a better urban future for all citizens.

The coordinating Ministry Major Results from the Uganda Country Programme 1. The framework of national dialogue, local-level good governance and community voice has provided the underpinning for a World Bank capital invest- ment programme of $130 million in 13 secondary towns, including the five CP towns.

This is a great shift in favour of the urban poor; only recently has the challenge of urbanisation been properly recognised, and is now incorporated into the World Bank and Government of Uganda’s Country Assistance 2. Slum dweller federations supported by ActTogether, a federation of SDI, and associated networks in Kenya and Tanzania have become the strongest of the SDI-affiliated federations working in the five CP towns.

The federations are also continuing to expand in Kampala. 3. While the CP focuses specifically on secondary cities and not on Kampala, it is notable that a similar programme based on the same conceptual pillars as the Uganda CP has now started in the capital, with funding from U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), and the support of Water Aid.

Exposure to direct community engagement and dialogue in the secondary towns participating in programme was a major factor. 14 C i t i e s A l l i A n C e 2 0 11 A n n u A l R e p o R t of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and other stakeholders selected five secondary cities for roll out of the TSUPU: Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale, Kabale, and Arua.

in Ghana the CP is also wholly locally owned and known as the Ghana Land, Services and Citizenship for the Urban Poor programme (LSC). it focuses on the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and aims to support the Government of Ghana as it develops a national urban agenda premised on inclusive urban development. The LSC programme is being developed through extensive consultations at the national, local and community levels.

Key partners include: the Government of Ghana which is imple- menting the LSC through the Urban Development Unit (UDU) and the institute of Local Government Studies (iLGS), both under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). Local partners include the Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor, People’s Dialogue, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

These partners are in turn supported by international organisations Agence Française de Développe- ment (AFD), GiZ, (the lead CA member), Habitat for Humanity international (HFHi), SDi, UN-HABiTAT, and the World Bank.

in July this year the Government of Ghana in partnership with Cities Alliance held a special session of the Ghana Urban Forum to debate the issues of rising urbanisation and to raise awareness of the LSC which fundamentally seeks to: > Support national and local policy dialogue to promote sustainable urbanisation, ensure the empowerment of local governments